Method of knitting selvaged fabrics.



} R.'W. SCOTT. METHOD OF KNITTING SELVAGED FABRICS.

) APPLICATION min AUG.22, 1914.

1,148,056, Patented July 27, 1915.

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f if Y z v V 5 W U-IIUIU m M needles iTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SCOTT & WILLIAMS,INCORPORATED, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF. KNITTING SEIiVAG-ED FABRICS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1915.

Application filed August 22. 1914. Serial No. 858;137.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT W. ScoTT, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of KnittingSelvaged Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to methods of making sclvaged knit fabrics of thegenus described and claimed in my LettersPatent No. 1,045,621 datedNovember 26, 1912, and more particularly to making such fabrics bytucking or loop-accumulating operations.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram face View of thebeginning edge of a knit article or fabric made according to my method;Figs. 2, 3 and 4: are diagrams illustrating the relation of the yarns tothe knitting needles during the formation of the selvage by one seriesof operations; Figs. 5 to 8 are illustrations of and web-holders showingwell known machine devices upon which the new method may be practised;Figs. 9 and 10 are viewsillustrating the first and second course duringa modified series of operations; and Fig. 11 is a View similar to Fig. 1illustrating the resulting fabric.

Heretofore a setting-up course on a single series of naked needles hasnot been possible without first causing some of the needles to passbeneath the new yarn, as by passing them below the leading stitch cam.I' will now disclose amethod of forming such a course by causing all ofthe needles to take yarn and then selectively casting oil the yarn fromsome of them only, preferred devices for practising the methodcomprising means for tucking by failure to cast olf at some of theneedles, for instance long latch needles distributed among the otherneedles.

Referring now to Fig. 9, the operation may be carried out on an endlessseries of instruments such as latch needles n, by laying an initialcourse 1 inthe hooks of all of said instruments, for instance beginningat a, this step inclui'ling if desired the overlapping of said initialcourse on some of the needles, for instance twice to include the needles1 and 197 to 200, as shown, the yarn being then passed toward the backsof the needles as at b, when it may be severed, or held for introductionat another time.

To provide a fast edge, the initial yarn 1 is now to be so enveloped bythe next succeeding yarn that it may serve. to lock against raveling thefollowing web. is shown in my said patent, a fast-selvage or edge forthis purpose ensues when the loops or bights of the next yarn passrecurrently in front of and behind such an initial run or course, and Inow provide for so forming such a second course by removing from thehooks of each of a recurrent series of said instruments the bights (Z,Fig. 3, held in said hooks, in any manner, for instance by casting oifthe bights d of alternating needles or groups of needles, as shown ateach even-numbered needle, prior to placing a new yarn for course 2 insaid hooks. This operation will include passing the cast-off bight d, asshown in Fig. 3, behind the needle upon which it was formed.

For the desired purpose of adapting the fabric produced and the steps ofits manufacture to production by well-known devices, I may employ forlaying the course 1 as described any known form of yarn feeding andother devices capable of laying a yarn on all the needles, beginning ata and ending at b; and for the ensuing step of casting off the bights ofsaid course at recurrent needles, I may employ any known means forcausing some of the needles, as the odd-numbered series, to bepositioned or operated in the absence of new yarn, in the same manner asthey might be positioned or operated for tucking in the presence of anew yarn. As an instance only I have illustrated in Figs. 5 and (3representative needles 193 and 194, one series, as that containingneedle 193, being provided with long latches y, the remaining needles,as 194, having shorter latches w, as shown in Fig. 6. I may remove theyarn at Z), and then operate all of the said needles with respect totheir customary knocking-over devices, such as web-holders 20, Figs. 5to 8, so as to retain the bights (l of the long latch needles when theneedles are again retracted, and to cast ofi' the loops of the shortlatch needles. To aid in this opera to close their latches, and to causethe cast- 01f bights d to pass behind the needles as shown in Fig. 3. Inow, form the second course, beginning at any part of the series ofneedles as shown at c, Fig. 4, by feeding yarn 2 to the hooks of needlesnow standing recurrently in front of and behind the initial yarnoryarns, and subsequently cast off on to the recurrent loops w of yarn 2the retained bights of yarn '1, Fig. l. Each of the needles now retainsin-its hook a stitch w or a bight z of yarn 2, and course 3 may be knitnormally.

The described procedure for course 1 resulted in supplying to theneedles yarn 1nterlocke'd behind recurrent needles so that at course 2and at subsequent courses the webholders may be retracted, for theirusual function, to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 8, andadvance again, as usual. All of the needles, for normal knitting will ofcourse be given sufiicient advancing m0Ve ments to clear both long andshort latch needles. Having initiated knitting at all of the needles, Imay now knit any desired ex tent of fabric, which, if desired, may beprovided with tucked loops occurring in the wales initiated at any ofthe loops 2 of the second course.

Referring now to Figs. 5 to 11, I may practice my method by aid of theillustrated machine devices comprising web-holders 20 having upperinwardly sloping surfaces 20, and in this case one procedure is asfollows: A first course 1 is fed to all of the needles; a second course2 is then fed while the webholders are advanced (Fig. 5) the short latchneedles being advanced (Fig. 6) and the long latch needles not beingadvanced (Fig. 5) far enough to clear. The needles are then retracted,thereby casting off course 1 at all of the needles having shorterlatches m while retaining bights d of both course 1 and course 2 at allneedles having longer latches y (Figs. 7 and 8), the slopes 20permitting course 2 to engage beneath the hooks of the web-holders 20.An advance sufiicient to clear all the latches of all of the needles isnow made prior to taking course 3, during which advance saidweb-holdersremain in the forward position illustrated in full lines inFigs. 6 to 8.

The yarns are now arranged upon the instruments as illustrated in Fig.10, course 1 being recurrently in front of and beneath the open latchesand behind the respective needles. The needles thereafter take yarn forthe third course 3, during or after which the web-holders may beoperated as usual in the art.

The described steps have resulted in casting off the bights d of courses1 and 2 on to the bights 'w of course 3, and in casting off yarn 2 ateach of the needles having short latches 00, said short latch needlesforming loops 2' of course 3 in front of the yarn of course 1. Theselvage structure of my said patent is thus formed with respect to theyarns 1 and 3, yarn 2 not being interlooped with or forming a permanentpart of the fabric, although said yarn may be retained at the edge ofthe fabric in some cases by friction.

In each instance described, the steps taken place the initial yarn upona series of needles, then cast off the bights of said yarn fromrecurrent needles, and pass said bights behind their needles, prior tocausing another yarn to be drawn into loops together enveloping saidinitial yarn, for the purposes of my said patent. Said steps furthercomprise operations capable of being per-v formed by movements given inan orderly manner to the knitting instruments, and therefore adapted toautomatic machinery organized for-this purpose.

WVhat I claim is:

1. The art of knitting selvaged fabrics comprising first forming bightsof an initial yarn at each of a series of needles, then casting off saidbights at recurrent needles, and thereafter forming a course envelopingsaid initial yarn.

2. The art of knitting fabrics having a beginning selvage comprisingforming bights of yarn on each of a series of needles, then casting saidbights from recurrent needles, then passing said bights behind saidrecurrent needles, and then knitting a second and following courses.

The art of knitting selvaged fabrics on a series of needles comprisinglaying in the hooks of all of said needles an initial run of yarn, thenoperating upon said yarn at all of said needles to cast said initial runof yarn from recurrent needles and pass said needles in front of theircast-off bights, and thereafter supplying said needles with new yarn andoperating them to knit normally.

4. The art of knitting selvaged fabrics on a series of needlescomprising laying in the hooks of all of said needles an initial run ofyarn, then operating upon said yarn at all of said needles in theabsence of new yarn to cast said initial run of yarn from recurrentneedles and pass said needles in front of their cast-off bights, andthereafter sup plying said needles with new yarn and operating them toknit normally.

5. The art of operatin a knitting machine having needles to form abeginning selvage comprising feeding yarn to all of the needles, thenoperating upon the yarn at some of the needles to retain said yarn, andat other needles to cast off the yarn, and thereafter feeding yarn andoperating the needles normally to knit.

6. The art of operating a knitting ma-.

chine having needles and yarn-feeding deceasing to feed yarn whileoperating upon the yarn at some of the needles to retain said yarn, andat other needles to cast off the yarn, and thereafter feeding yarn andoperating the needles normally to knit.

7. The art of operating a knitting machine having needles andyarn-feeding devices to form a beginning selvage comprising feeding yarnsuccessively to all of the needles, then repeating the operation at someof the needles, whereby the initial yarn is twice taken at some of theneedles, then causing the yarn feeding devices to remove the yarn fromthe needles while operating some of the needles to retain the yarn, andother needles to cast olf the yarn, and thereafter feeding yarn andoperating the needles normally to knit.

8. The art of knitting fabrics having selvages on a series ofinstruments comprising first laying at each of said instruments aninitial course, then operating recurrent instruments of said series asfor tucking while operating the remaining instruments as for knitting,whereby the initial course is retained at said recurrent needles andpassed behind the remainder; and thereafter operating said instrumentsfor normal knitting in the presence of new yarn during successivecourses.

9. The art of operating a knitting machine having needles, web-holdersand yamfeeding devices to form a beginning selvage comprising firstforming bights at each of said needles of an initial yarn, andthereafter causing recurrent needles to cast off and advance in front ofsaid bights during maintenance of stress upon said yarn by saidweb-holders.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT W. SCOTT.

Witnesses:

MARY F. GRIFFIN, RUTH A. RoPER.

